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Mike Miller

Mike Miller has been NBCSports.com's college basketball editor since 2003. It's a position he relishes; no wonder considering he transferred to Kansas to watch Paul Pierce play. Most of his favorite sports memories involve college hoops, usually during March, when every waking moment is spent thinking about March Madness.



Duke provides video ammo for its haters

Posted: Monday, October 19, 2009 8:48 AM
Filed Under:

Sometimes it’s hard to explain the animosity surrounding Duke to people who aren’t die-hard college basketball fans. Anyone who’s filled out an NCAA tournament bracket in March is used to seeing the Devils and knows they’re supposed to be good.

And surely they’ve seen and recognize Coach K -- even if they couldn’t come close to spelling Krzyzewski.

But why the hate? Well, everyone has their reasons. Maybe the players are smug, maybe it’s the fans, maybe it’s because Duke seemingly gets preferential treatment from the refs and the media. But a casual fan may not get it. And maybe you don’t want to explain it to them.

Well, it just got easier.

Start with this promotional poster for 2009-10. Seriously click on the link, I don’t want to use the photo.

To call the “Goodfellas” poster silly would be too easy. But that’s exactly what it is. Just silly. Why would a squeaky-clean program want to be affiliated with gangsters? Are we supposed to think Duke is above the rules? Or that if you show them any disrespect from now on they’ll stuff you in the trunk and bury you in Jersey?

And, to be fair, nearly every school does hokey stuff like this. But this one’s cheesy beyond belief.

Even worse is this video that made the rounds over the weekend. It was made for Duke’s Midnight Madness event Friday, though why it wasn’t immediately burned is beyond me. Watch for yourself.

 

Sure, the thing is tongue-in-cheek and is moderately amusing in a “that’s so ridiculous it’s funny” kind of way, but did they think this thing through? Didn’t they know it’d blaze through the Internet like a prairie fire and give Duke haters enough ammo for the next few years?

I can already see opposing student sections holding up enlarged photos of Nolan Smith, sprawled out on the couch. It’s gonna do wonders for the guy’s confidence.

Ah, Duke. Sometimes, the hate comes from obvious reasons.

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Comments

Anybody who needs THIS video to hate Duke just isn't trying hard enough.

T, Brownsubrg, IN (Sent Monday, October 19, 2009 2:24 PM)

I don't care for Duke.. I'm certainly not a fan, nor am I a hater... But I thought that video was hilarious.

Luke, Boston, MA (Sent Monday, October 19, 2009 3:34 PM)

Seriosuly, why all the hate?  every program does things like this.  Are you talking bad about those other programs?  All the hatred will some full circle...Duke was on top for so long just like Notre Dame, that is where all of the hate came from originally.  They don't get all the calls, this has been proven.  Get your facts straight and write some un-biased blogs jackass

Josh, Winston Salem, NC (Sent Monday, October 19, 2009 4:02 PM)

People will hate Duke regardless of what they do.  If you hate Duke more because of the video you need to get a life.  

matt (Sent Monday, October 19, 2009 4:24 PM)

I am a huge Duke fan, watch every game that I can each season, and even know how to spell Krzyzewski without looking it up. However, I have to agree that the poster and video are just silly. I can't recognize half the guys on the poster (photoshopped much?) and the video made me cringe. It's all in good fun though, and so true that this would be a non-story for any school not consistently ranked in the top ten of college hoops. Duke needs to go back to the generically goofy poster concepts like "Blue Planet," and "Class Act."

Washington, DC (Sent Monday, October 19, 2009 4:28 PM)

Oh please -- if anything this is corny, but it's funny and it's as self-deprecating as it can be.  For that matter, as much as it hurt, I loved the Greg Paulus video that some Carolina people put together last year [the one where they take the "I Kissed a Girl" song and make it "Guy" and the guy is Paulus].  People will "hate" Duke no matter what and people like this blogger inexplicably will try to fan those flames for no good purpose.  For what it's worth, I went there during Coach K's first 3 seasons and by my senior year the fans were booing him at a not nearly sold out [and slightly smaller] Cameron Indoor Stadium.  There were no Cameron Crazies except for one dorm, BOG, which sat behind the visitor's bench, and there was no Krzyzewski-ville, nor were there lines to get in except for the Carolina game.  That being said, I'd rather we be hated and winning than liked and losing.

Jim, Tampa, FL (Sent Monday, October 19, 2009 4:58 PM)

the picture is kind of annoying but the video is good fun.  the guy trying to channel Kate Winslet was surprisingly good

mike bloomington IN (Sent Monday, October 19, 2009 5:57 PM)

People named Josh and Jim and people from Washington DC are always wrong.  I just looked it up and it is a fact.  I know because I'm a great journalist and I always get everything that I write correct.

John Feinstein, Washington Post (Sent Tuesday, October 20, 2009 7:59 AM)

This Blog is horribly biased. The poster may be linked to "ganster-ism" but no one would ever interpret it in a hostile way, or as this blogger says "Are we supposed to think Duke is above the rules? Or that if you show them any disrespect from now on they’ll stuff you in the trunk and bury you in Jersey" What a ludicrous paralell. absurd. Face it. People hate Duke because they're great. Just like they hate the Yankees, Patriots, Steelers, Cowboys, Notre Dame etc. When you're that good. everyone will find a reason to hate.

Phil, Durham, North Carolina (Sent Tuesday, October 20, 2009 11:21 AM)

It's sort of incredible to see someone this biased as a college basketball writer -- sorry, blogger -- for a purportedly legitimate news source. God forbid a team have a sense of humor. Might this post have an agenda having something to do with Duke and Kansas both going after Harrison Barnes? Remember, official visit this weekend in Durham, Mike.

Maynard, Ravenna, Ohio (Sent Tuesday, October 20, 2009 1:20 PM)

Mike, I'm guessing that you had to submit something by deadline and had no idea what to write until one of your friends sent you a YouTube link, right?  

You do realize that every school does stuff like this, including Kansas.  They even had a skit with their freshman in goofy outfits that made ESPN's Midnight Madness coverage.  If you are going to be biased and humorless, you can at least try to be consistent.

I can't believe anyone can read through your comments about mobster correlation without cringing.  And frankly, the videos are funny (especially Nolan's part) and the dunk contest was pretty high quality.  You must hate Duke quite a bit when you can't give the school credit for anything.

DK, Stamford, CT (Sent Tuesday, October 20, 2009 3:04 PM)

Coach K is smart.  He allowed for these to happen because he knew that his players are going to be hated and patronized.  If anything, this is going to help the duke players not be bothered by stuff said about them, but to brush it off.

Mike, Chapel Hill, NC (Sent Tuesday, October 20, 2009 3:21 PM)

I don't really care what Mike Miller or other Duke haters think.  We run a clean program and graduate outstanding young men.  We also win.  Take win out of the equation and nobody would be hating on Duke like they hate on the Yankees.  So screw all the Haters!!!

Anthony, NC (Sent Tuesday, October 20, 2009 6:48 PM)

Articles like this is the reason why everyone feels Duke gets special treatment and why they have lost big recruits bc of the hate of running a clean program. Just complete hate/bias against Duke for no reason at all. I think Danny Green's dance before games is corny, but you didn't see me write and article about that. Or how they all looked on "late night with roi", based on your rules you could write a years worth of articles about that night. Get a life and get off K's jock finally.

Jacob (Sent Wednesday, October 21, 2009 4:50 PM)



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